<p>So say I got a Cal grant B that pays for most everything. Tuition, health insurance, books etc. Also, got FAFSA/ Pell grants and what not. Still need extra money from loans to cover approx $8k in off campus living expenses, food, etc (its more than that in reality, just going by what the financial aid office estimates my expenses to be). </p>
<p>Now say I find out I might be eligible for this outside grant for around $20k a year. If I can get this, does it reduce the overall amount of aid available from FAFSA/ Cal grant, or will I be able to get refunded all this extra money?</p>
<p>The school receives all your money via scholarship/grant/loans and before school starts of every quarter they will transfer any left over money to your bank account after they deduct school fees</p>
<p>I don’t think outside scholarships or grants are supposed to reduce/replace Pell Grants, but I don’t know about Cal Grants (the state grant, not one from UC Berkeley/Cal). But this is a great question to ask your Financial Aid rep, although you might not get an absolutely straight answer. </p>
<p>I won two small scholarships through my CC the summer before starting at Berkeley. I was not eligible for Pell or Cal grants. Berkeley had awarded me a decent scholarship and the rest, about $7k, was in unsubsidized loans. (The lame thing was, I was an independent student whose income was cut 3/4 once I started school, so pretty much became a low income student once I started school, but due to FAFSA relying on the income one year before, I had a high EFC. Yes, I appealed, and yes, Berkeley reduced my loans and increased my Berkeley scholarship somewhat. Anyway…) I had been told that the outside scholarships would decrease/replace part of my loan, BUT when I got my revised financial aid report, I found that the scholarships replaced part of my Berkeley scholarship instead. I was quite angry and tried to appeal, but there was nothing I could do. I decided pretty much right then not to apply for any other outside scholarships - what was the point if they didn’t reduce my need for loans? I went through so much stress to get those scholarships, it totally was not worth it for me. That isn’t to say you shouldn’t apply for outside grants, but speak to Cal’s financial aid office and make sure it is clear to you how they will apply your funds.</p>